I decided I could go for a little more tea this afternoon, and thought that one of the Royal Wedding sachets that ashmanra sent would be a lovely treat! Thank you ashmanra!

I taste cocoa! which morphs into coconut – then I taste white tea. I’m not getting a nutty taste, or any rosey tastes. Maybe a little vanilla.

My taste buds are little stubborn mules, or maybe barbarians, or foreigners! but they kept on saying, “This is not black tea! Don’t think you can trick us! We don’t really like anything but black tea! Maybe an oolong every now and again, even a green oolong, but that’s it!!”

Yes, I can taste that white tea. I get a bitter taste, and an astringent tongue. I don’t think this is a quality issue, but a preference issue. I am just not a white tea person (unless it’s loaded with black currants! But I digress!).

I think anyone who loves white tea, and loves flavors would adore this tea. It’s done really well, like a French one! Subtle! My second steep is mostly white tea with just a touch of flavor. I do like it, but it’s not that OMG true love that I experience with black teas. It’s just not the way my barbarian foreigner tastebuds are wired ;)

(If you are wondering what I mean about the barbarians and foreigners -

Until China’s Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD), only green tea was produced and consumed. It was during this dynasty, however, that oxidation was discovered and the Chinese realized that it could completely change their tea production. While the tea makers considered this newly created tea fit only for “barbarian foreigners,” it solved one of their major problems.

Green tea did not travel well over long distances and had the propensity to mold. When the tea was allowed to oxidize and then baked, the resulting leaf could retain its quality longer. This black tea was far more suitable for the lengthy transport to Tibet and Mongolia. This type of tea is now the most popular tea in most of the world beyond Asia.

I re-organized my tea shelves my type…That taught me just how many black teas I have. Though I do have a sizable amount of herbals as well, for those “non-tea” tea days, I’m not a big fan of green…or white.

I re-organized my tea shelves my type…That taught me just how many black teas I have. Though I do have a sizable amount of herbals as well, for those “non-tea” tea days, I’m not a big fan of green…or white.

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Bio

I love to cook, bake, read, paint, knit, do needlework, and garden. I need my coffee, but I LOVE my tea. I work at an Art School, and attend a large public university doing post-bac work (my BA is in English). I’m interested in the liminal spaces between art and craft, the academic and the practical, the individual and community, and the old and the new. I’m currently exploring these ideas through the disciplines of education, literature, history, and psychology.

I enjoy writing tasting notes, but have decided not to numerically rate teas as of 9/14/10. For an explanation, see my looooong tasting note about Mountain Malt from the Simple Leaf.

My favorites:
Chinese black teas
A good “milk and sugar” English style black
Earl Grey (classic, and in all variations!)
Vanilla teas (classic, and in all variations!)
Jasmine, Rose, Violet and other froofy, flowery teas!
An Occasional Oolong
Flavored Rooibos
Herbal Tisanes